The Crimes of Dumbledore
by Floppy Katana
Summary: Dumbledore asks Newt to go to Paris to track Grindelwald for him, and Newt is understandably confused. Newt wonders why it must be him to confront the Dark wizard, forcing Dumbledore to finally come terms with his past with Grindelwald. Get ready to meet Albus Dumbledore, Leta Lestrange, Theseus Scamander, and other new FB characters!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Floppy Katana here! It turns out that my last story, "The Complications of Leaving New York" was not enough to distract myself for the time until CoG comes out. This story will be my (very) rough idea of what CoG will be about. And, I'm so very sorry about this, but I really didn't know how to incorporate Queenie or Jacob into this story, so they're not major characters.**

 **This is just for fun. I don't own Fantastic Beasts or Harry Potter, as much as I might like to.**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **In which Newt gives a very forced speech and Professor Dippet is a jerk.**

"As you all probably know, the introduction of Newt Scamander's new book about magical beasts, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ , has brought a drastic change on people's viewpoints on these creatures. His groundbreaking new book preaches of protection and special reserves for these creatures, whilst also proving as a helpful guide for dealing with them. Mr. Scamander is here at Flourish and Blotts' today as part of a tour promoting his book across the British Isles. Please welcome him to the stage."

Newt gave a low groan, then pulled himself together and strode out from behind the curtains and onto the stage. He hated these book signings, especially because he was usually expected to give a speech. He had been to two book signings before. In the first one, he had dropped off on a tangent about the morality of hinkypunks before his agent, Augustus Worme, tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was done. But apparently Worme was not as disappointed in Newt's speech-giving abilities as he had thought he had been, for the agent had him give another speech in the next book signing.

During the second attempt, he had managed to stay on topic, but hadn't been able to make the speech long. He spoke for maybe a minute about his book and the creatures in it, then shrank back from the microphone and positively fled. Worm had brought him back to the stage for book signings a few minutes later.

This time, Newt was determined not to make a fool of himself.

He had practiced his speech at length in the interim between the two book signings, and had greater hopes for this one than for the other promotional book signings.

He gritted his teeth and stepped out onto the stage. The introductory speaker gave him a wide smile, then gestured for him to take his place on the stage.

For the third time in the last week, he felt the gaze of tens of expectant people on him and immeadiately ducked behind his mop of russet hair. Flourish and Blotts' was the largest venue he had given a speech at.

"Erm," he said, scanning the front row.

His eyes fixed on Worme, who gave a thumbs up and nodded fervently.

" _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ ," he stammered. "That's my book. I'm Newt… Newt Scamander and _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ is my book… the one I wrote."

He felt as stupid as a troll as the words tumbled out. He could read the body posture of his agent, and it did not bode well.

His eyes continued scanning the crowd until at last they came to rest on Bunty, his bubbly, young assistant.

She gave a wide smile and a double thumbs up.

"My book is about all sorts of… of magical creatures, from Acromantulas to Winged Horses. My book serves as a guide… a guide to these creatures and where they can be found."

Newt fell the train of thought falling off, then felt a sudden burst of inspiration from his time in New York. "But it does not serve as an extermination guide, as past books have been. This book" —he held the scarlet book up—"works as a guide to help people better understand these creatures. I traveled the world and studied these animals in the field, occasionally… having to use my travelling kettle to beat them off."

He laughed sightly, realizing that he was just paraphrasing the about-the-author page.

He chanced a glance down at his agent and saw that he was smiling, his legs crossed.

"Some of the beasts are… a bit touchy… that is to say, they might murder you if you get too close"—there was a chorus of laughter—"But the majority of them can be tamed or placated if you know how. For example, I have marked Nundus as being extremely dangerous in my book, but I have a Nundu named Margaret—oh, that's not important. I guess, the point I'm trying to make is that these beasts are not inherently evil, as older books on the matter would have you think. The beasts mentioned in this book should be protected and rescued instead of sought out and destroyed."

Newt stepped back from the spotlight, slightly shell-shocked but proud of himself just the same. He could dimly hear the thundering of applause in the background, but his focus was mostly on his agent, who was beaming.

"Autographs, autographs!" chimed the stout agent once the applause had died down. "Come have your copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ signed by the author!"

A rush of people clamored to the front of the stage, pushing each other to get to there first.

"Well done, Newt," said Worme as the author stepped to the desk where a fwooper-feather quill and inkwell lay.

Newt approached the desk with trepidation. He unscrewed the inkwell and dipped the tip of the quill into the black ink, eyeing the crowd that was pressing in on the table.

"Elphias Doge, Mr. Scamander," said the first person in line, "I'm so excited to meet you… such a big fan of your work… always thought creatures were misunderstood!"

"Do you work at Hogwarts?" asked Newt. "I recognize you."

"Oh, you went to Hogwarts?" said Doge with a grin. "My pal Al Dumbledore works there."

"You know Dumbledore?" said Newt surprisedly.

"Yes, he invited me for the winter feast in 1908 when they had the Triwizard Tournament," responded the balding man.

"He was my Transfiguration teacher," said Newt, passing Doge back the signed book.

"Good to see you, Newton," boomed a voice from behind Doge.

As Doge scampered away, the man behind him started forward and shook Newt's hand.

"Professor Dippet, sir," said Newt, averting his gaze. Newt hoped beyond hope that Dippet was not a Legilimens, because Newt really disliked Dippet. Newt's distaste for the (very) old man was not all derived from the fact that he had been the one who had expelled him. Some of his dislike came from the fact that Dippet was downright shrewd and unlikeable. He was not the type of person Newt would expect would be there just to congratulate him…

"Newton," said the old man gravely, "I see you still have your fascination with dangerous beasts."

"Yes, sir," responded Newt, signing the book the headmaster had proffered.

"Young bloke was quite the rule breaker at Hogwarts in his day," said Dippet loudly, so that most of the crowd, including some Daily Prophet reporters could hear. Newt cringed heavily and hoped Dippet wouldn't say any more. He did not want more publicity, especially negative publicity. But it was not the case and Dippet continued.

"Why, he brought a rabid Jarvey into school in his sixth year. Several students were injured in the fray." Newt started backing up towards the door that led into the back room. "Well, he was expelled of course, you know, it was his sixth year at Hogwarts. He was a good student, but we couldn't afford for another accident of that nature to happen."

Now the reporters were hurrying up to Dippet, asking him things about Newt's tempestuous expulsion. Being a secretive person, Newt found that his least favorite people were reporters. They always poked around in other people's business, trying to uncover their secrets and reveal them to the world. Newt hoped beyond hope that they wouldn't uncover Leta Lestrange's involvement in the incident.

Newt fled through the back door. As soon as he was through, he saw that Bunty was already in the back room.

She was sitting on a bench immersed in a massive book called _Men Who Love Dragons Too Much_. She sprang to her feet as Newt came through the door.

"What's wrong, Mr. Scamander?" said Bunty. "Are you done signing books already? You've only been out there a few minutes."

"No, it's fine," lied Newt. "I… just… it's a bit much, all the publicity."

"It's Professor Dippet, isn't it?" asked Bunty. "I saw him in the crowd and he looked nothing short of malicious."

Newt ignored her and changed the subject while he busied himself donning his new grey coat. "Would you mind making some more Mooncalf pellets? I'm running low."

"Sure thing, Mr. Scamander!" Bunty shot Newt a glowing smile which Newt failed to notice.

"I'm going back to my flat," said Newt dully. "I'm just going to Apparate straight there; I don't want to get waylaid by the Prophet reporters."

"Bye," said Bunty glumly.

When Newt materialized in his London flat, he gave a long-suffering look and ran his hand through his hair. He didn't want to imagine what was going through the Daily Prophet reporters' minds.

He could already see tomorrow's headlines whirling by in his mind…

 **Scamander Scandal: The Untold Story Of Sixth Year**

 **Author vs. Auror: Scamander Siblings Squabble over Love Triangle**

Newt shut the thoughts out, and made to go downstairs to his magically expanded basement to feed his creatures. But with a sigh, he turned back and walked over to the sitting room; Bunty had the creatures in impeccable condition and he didn't want her to think that he doubted her abilities to care for the creatures properly.

Newt hung his coat up on the coat rack and sat down heavily on the sofa. Without getting up, he Transfigured a mug out of thin air and filled it with water. A tea bag zoomed through the sky, unwrapped itself, and plopped into the steaming liquid.

"Yes, Pickett," said Newt, allowing the Bowtruckle to hop down onto his intercrossed hands. "What is it?"

Pickett held his arms out to the side and swayed left and right lopsidedly.

"Really?" said Newt, giving Pickett an incredulous look. "Again?"

Pickett swayed even more and nodded feverishly.

"OK, then," said Newt bemusedly.

He set Pickett down onto the coffee table then reached over to his wand. With a flick of his wand, the radio in the corner clicked on.

Pickett instantly redoubled his attempts at dancing when he heard the music. Newt, on the other hand, gave a facepalm and said something indistinct like, "not more Wendella Warbeck…"

Pickett chirped once more and Newt saw that he was pointing at him.

"Me? You want me to dance with you?"

The Bowtruckle nodded feverishly.

"You know I can't, Pickett," said Newt defensively. "That run-in with the Erumpent was an accident."

But Pickett didn't seem to agree. He gave a few angry chirps.

"Oh, all right."

Newt grudgingly stood up, set the mug of tea down, and took Pickett in his hand. Newt spun around suddenly and the Bowtruckle squeaked in glee as he soared through the air.

Newt would've danced more had the music not cut off.

Pickett whined his annoyance at the end of his ride and crossed his arms grumpily.

"Quiet, Pickett, I want to hear the news," said Newt, sitting down on the sofa again. "They don't interrupt the music mid-song unless they have something important."

Pickett scowled but remained silent just the same.

"This notice is brought to you from the Ministry of Magic," said the cool female voice that came from the radio. "This is breaking news from the Americas, wizards and witches of the UK. Gellert Grindelwald and his accomplice Vinda Rosier have just escaped from the MACUSA prison."

Newt dropped the mug of tea he had picked back up from the table and the lukewarm liquid spilled all over the floor.

"There are rumors that four aurors were injured as the two Dark wizards escaped from the prison. Madam Picquery, the president of MACUSA, has issued a lockdown for all wizarding establishments in America, including the Ilvermorny School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. As of yet, we don't know how Grindelwald escaped. He is believed to still be in America, but it is advisable for wizards and witches everywhere to prepare for the worst. Do not leave your house except for the necessary functions and avoid public places. Stay in groups and bring your wand with you at all times.

"The headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet, has stated that he and his staff will be doubling security. Professor Dippet urges parents to not withdraw their children from his school. The Ministry of Magic will be heightening security and will host an emergency Wizengamot with the International Confederation of Wizards, where the growing threat of Grindelwald will be discussed. Thank you for listening to this message."

Newt turned off the radio and sprinted through the flat to his bedroom.

"I have to send a message to America—see who's been injured. Oh, Pickett, what if Tina's been hurt?"

He hurtled into his room and pulled his wand out of its holster.

"A patronus message—that's fastest. Expecto patronum!"

Newt thought back to the time he had spent with Jacob, Queenie, and Tina in New York, and a silvery-white animal pulled itself from the tip of his wand.

"That's odd," said Newt, "my Patronus has changed."

The luminescent porcupine looked at him benignly as it scampered around, exploring the room. Then, it seemed to implode and it disappeared in a wisp of smoke; Newt had lost his concentration.

"There's no way that I can keep that up all the way to America," said Newt despondently. "Have to get an owl…"

He hurried over to his desk and swiped the loose scraps of paper off of his desk and cleared a space. There, he wrote a letter.

 _Dear Queenie,_

 _I just received the news that Grindelwald had escaped. I heard that four Aurors were injured. Was your sister among them? I dread that Tina may have been hurt, as it seems very like her to go after Grindelwald with only three people as backup._

 _Please let me know what has transpired as soon as you can._

 _Newt_

Newt dried the ink with a wave of his wand and tied the letter to the leg of the tawny owl that was perched on one of his bed posts.

"You know where to go, Priscilla," said Newt as he shoved open the window. The tawny owl spread her brown wings and took off through the open window into the darkening sky.

Newt sat down on his bed, his leg bouncing up and down rapidly while he imagined possibilities of how Grindelwald had escaped. In some of them, he visualized Tina and three others chasing after Grindelwald through the passageways of MACUSA's basement. In others, a spy from inside MACUSA opened the cells so that Grindelwald and Vinda Rosier were free to escape.

Eventually, his ideas grew so ludicrous and unbelievable that he shook himself out of his thoughts and lay back onto the bed.

There was nothing to do now, he thought, as he stared up at the ceiling he had enchanted to look like the night sky. There just wasn't enough evidence yet to draw any feasible conclusions.

He looked away from the dim stars by turning his head to the side. He had a terrible gut feeling that it was Tina who had got herself injured. Newt remembered how powerful Grindelwald was… he remembered the tremors of agony that had shot through his body when Grindelwald had electrocuted him in the New York subway. If Credence hadn't intervened and caused Grindelwald to stop, Newt would've died. What if Grindelwald used a stronger curse and Tina died of her injuries?

Newt didn't know when it had turned from thought to dream, nor was he in the slightest interested. For the rest of the night, he was haunted by the same image of Tina's face, gaunt and pale, the still-open eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling.

 **Note: I know Patronus messages were only invented by the Order of the Phoenix during the first war with Voldemort, but it's kind of important in this story (and it's bloody awesome) so I have to contradict canon on this one.**

 **Please review!**

 **Floppy Katana**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

 **In which Dumbledore is his usual manipulative self and Newt rides a Kelpie.**

The next morning, Newt was feeling much better for his ordeal. Most of his panicked fear had worn itself out over the night, but he was still a bit edgier than usual.

It was a Saturday, so Bunty was off duty. Newt strode down to his basement and a smile spread over his face as his creatures stomped, cawed, bellowed, and cried their greetings.

"And hello to you, too," said Newt, grinning.

He made his rounds through the magically expanded basement, feeding his creatures as he went. He was just feeding the Graphorns when he heard a distant ringing.

"A caller?" he said, yawning. "At this time?"

Newt walked back up the stairs and to the entrance room. He took his wand out of his pocket and held it out in front of him as he approached the door. Though he didn't think Grindelwald would be waiting for him on the other side of the door, Newt felt there was nothing to be lost by being extra careful.

He swung open the door and then did a double take, for standing at his door was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

"Newt," he said kindly, his eyes sparkling. "It's good to see you. May I?"

"Oh, of course, please come in, Professor," said Newt, gesturing inside.

"I hope this time is not inconvenient for you?"

"Absolutely not," said Newt. "I was just feeding my Graphorns."

Dumbledore wrinkled his brow in momentary confusion, then seemed to remember something.

"I remember reading about them in your book, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. An excellent title, I would say."

"You read my book?" asked Newt surprisedly as he led Dumbledore to the sitting room.

"Of course I did," responded Dumbledore. "It's set to become curriculum material at Hogwarts."

Newt gaped.

"Well," said Dumbledore, eyeing the random objects that were scattered everywhere with interest, "I come here with some rather terrible news."

"If you're here to tell me that Grindelwald and Vinda Rosier have escaped, I already know. Heard it on the WWN yesterday."

"I see," said Dumbledore, nodding. "I come here, Newt, with a personal request."

"Fire away," said Newt. "I still owe you for persuading Professor Dippet to let me keep my wand when they expelled me."

"That reminds me…," said Dumbledore as he reached into his Muggle jacket. "I saw this earlier this morning when I was walking down Diagon Alley."

He passed Newt a newspaper. Just below the headline which proclaimed Grindelwald's escape was another headline:

 **Magizoologist or Mountebank? The Truth behind Newt Scamander's Dark Past**

Newt didn't need to read any more. He let the newspaper slip through his fingers and onto the floor.

"A wise choice," said Dumbledore calmly. "It does no good to dwell on such things."

Newt felt himself shaking with anger. Somehow, instead of seeming intrusive, Dumbledore's presence was as comforting as phoenix song. Newt took a few deep breaths to get himself back under control.

"You said there was a favor I could do for you?" said Newt after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "I have just received news that Grindelwald may be in France. I take it you've heard the rumors. Grindelwald had a vision that he would rise to dominance over the wizarding world. The time's coming, Newt, when you're going to have to pick a side."

"So you're asking me to help hunt him down?"

"I can't move against Grindelwald," said Dumbledore. "It has to be you."

Newt looked at his old professor, dumbfounded. Dumbledore was asking him— _Newt_ —to go after Grindelwald. Then Dumbledore was talking again.

"In your shoes, I'd probably refuse, too. It's early," he said, tipping the brim of his hat. "Have a good morning, Newt."

Dumbledore stood and walked a few paces before he Disapparated, leaving Newt standing alone in the sitting room, a half-flabbergasted, half-bemused look on his face.

"Oh, come on," he said to the empty room.

A flicker of movement on the sofa where Dumbledore had been sitting caught Newt's eye. It was Pickett, and he was ripping up what looked to be a small card. He squeaked in delight as he produced a particularly loud ripping noise

"What do you have there, Pickett?" asked Newt.

A loud chirp resonated through the air.

Newt bent closer and saw that the scraps of paper had writing on it. With wandless, nonverbal magic, Newt had the scraps of paper reassemble themselves.

On the front of the postcard was one word: Paris.

"Dumbledore must have left this," said Newt as he turned it over. On the back, there were three words written in loopy handwriting: Rue de Goguillon. Newt recognized these words to be the French equivalent of Diagon Alley.

"Devious man," said Newt. "He knew I would find this."

As he thought about it, Newt thought that it wouldn't be too bad to get out of the country for a while. Newt was particularly keen on leaving England so he wouldn't have to put up with the snarky headlines on every wizard newsstand. If indeed the same articles were being published, at least the titles would be in French, so he couldn't read what they said.

He headed downstairs and wrote a hurried note to Bunty telling her to take the week off.

Newt Summoned his case and, using a nifty spell he had learned from _Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks_ , he put all of his beasts into his case.

He closed the two latches, then stood up and looked around at the empty enclosures.

He headed upstairs and secured his wand in his pocket. Then, case in hand, he walked through the door, locking it behind him.

Newt felt surprisingly free in spite of the treacherous task ahead of him. He walked down the street leisurely, glancing up at the tall London buildings. With all he needed in a small dragon-hide case in one hand, a Bowtruckle tucked into his coat pocket, and the Swooping Evil cocooned up inside his sleeve, he felt ready for anything.

Newt made his way to the nearest dark alley and Disapparated.

He appeared a few seconds later on the crest of a massive green hill. The crashing of waves came from far below, and when Newt walked a few meters to the south, the hill dropped off and revealed a sloping white chalk cliff.

Wasting no time, Newt Apparated to the foot of the cliff and opened his suitcase.

"Accio Kelpie," said Newt, pointing his wand inside the case.

An enormous, green, horse-like with bulrushes for a mane sprang out of the case, surrounded by a blue-tinted bubble.

"Hello," said Newt, patting the Kelpie's head. "I've been meaning to let you stretch your legs. Well, here's your chance."

The Kelpie flexed her legs, excited at the prospect of a long-distance swim.

"Pickett, I need to put you and the Swooping Evil into the case. It's not safe for you to be outside of it." Pickett squeaked in protest but allowed Newt to drop him and the coiled Swooping Evil into the case. Newt shut it with a snap.

"Reducio," yelled Newt, pointing his wand at his suitcase.

The case shrank until it was the size of a small book. Newt secured it in his pocket.

Then, he turned his wand on himself and performed the Bubble-head Charm. Then he climbed on the Kelpie's back and urged it into the surf.

As soon as the Kelpie became immersed in the water, she started galloping at top speed. Newt clung to her mane with both hands, amazed at the Kelpie's speed. Murky objects whirled by so quickly that Newt didn't have time to see what they were.

Up ahead, a few surprised merpeople shook their tridents at him in greeting. Newt smiled at the merpeople as he passed them; he had been an advocate for them in the Ministry of Magic so he had befriended many merpeople in this colony.

Newt marvelled at the Kelpie's unfailing speed. It felt as if only a few minutes had passed before the kelpie was pulling herself from the surf on the beaches of Normandy.

Thankfully, this stretch of beach was unoccupied by Muggles (or non-magique).

"Thanks, Nessie," said Newt, hugging the Kelpie's neck gratefully. "As soon as you've regained your shapeshifting abilities, I'll take you back to Loch Ness."

Nessie whinnied in joy, then allowed herself to be put back inside the case that Newt had enlarged back to its normal size.

"Accio broom," said Newt.

The Silver Arrow shot out of the case and into Newt's hand.

"On to Paris, then," said Newt, mounting his broom and kicking off from the deep sand.

"I have some questions for you, professor."

"This is a surprise," said Dumbledore, looking over at the Aurors that stood in his classroom. There were at least nine of them, seven in the front and two standing behind Dumbledore.

The Professor turned his back on the two behind them as if they caused him no concern, but the Aurors couldn't see the hairs on the back of Dumbledore's neck prickling in warning.

"There's a rumor," said the head Auror, who stood at the front of his Auror team, "that Newt Scamander is headed to Paris."

Dumbledore didn't bat an eye on the fact that his plan had been found out. Instead, he kept the kind, thoughtful smile on his face. He wasn't going to let these Ministry folks ruin his plan.

The head Auror looked agitated that Dumbledore was keeping his face passive, neither confirming nor denying his claims. "I know he's working under your orders," the Auror said, trying to get Dumbledore to respond. "What do you have to say for yourself, Dumbledore?"

"If you'd ever had the pleasure to teach him, you'd know Newt is not a great follower of orders."

"You're incorrigible, Dumbledore," said the head Auror, flustered in his defeat. "C'mon, team, let's go."

As soon as the nine Aurors had left, Dumbledore slouched in relief. The last thing he needed now was an investigation.

Dumbledore felt bad about coercing Newt into looking for Grindelwald, but he couldn't bear to think about facing him again.

Dumbledore shook the thought off. Classes were done for the day, and there was still a while before the feast. The wizened professor decided to try to put his conscience to rest by taking a walk through the castle.

A few minutes later, he found himself striding down the seventh floor corridor. Paintings of ancient witches and wizards smiled down at him as he passed.

"Dumbly bumbly had better runbly," sang Peeves the poltergeist from inside a rusted suit of armor.

"Kind as your offer is, Peeves, I'm afraid I must refuse. My knees don't work as well as they used to."

Peeves blew a raspberry and zoomed away. Dumbledore shook his head in annoyance as a the suit of armor Peeves had been hiding in let loose a wheezy laugh.

Farther along the corridor was a large tapestry covered with trolls learning to ballet. The wizard in the picture, Barnabas the Barmy, was trying to get the trolls to put on ballet shoes but he wasn't having much success.

"How is it going, Barnabas?" asked Dumbledore.

"Not too well. Oh, Togg, don't throw that!" wheezed the wizard as he tried to wrench a ballet shoe out of a mountain troll's warty hand.

"I'll leave you at it," said Dumbledore, moving on.

He grew increasingly agitated. Usually, a good stroll through Hogwart's ancient halls cleared his head, but today, it seemed to have the opposite effect. He needed something to clear the air, to put his conscience to rest.

And just as he thought it, a door shimmered into existence in the wall to his left.

How curious, he thought. He had no memory of this door, and he liked to think he knew Hogwarts better than anyone. Making sure his wand was in the pocket of his bright green robes, Dumbledore pushed open the door.

The door led into a dimly-lit, mostly empty room. The only thing in the room was an enormous silver mirror. Carved around the edges were these words: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," said Dumbledore, decoding the sentence with ease. "The Mirror of Erised."

Dumbledore turned and looked all around the room. He had heard of the Mirror in his studies of the school's history, but as it had been lost for centuries, he had thought that it had been lost or stolen long ago.

"What is this place?" said Dumbledore. "I have yet to discover of Hogwarts' mysteries, it would seem."

He turned back to the mirror and stood right in front of it. Dumbledore did a double take; Grindelwald was staring back at him, looming over his shoulder like a forgotten memory.

"My heart's desire…," he said softly, looking up at the pale face above his shoulder.

He was deep in a daze. He reached his hand to the mirror towards the vision of Grindelwald, scarcely able to breathe. His heart's desire was not socks, not Ariana and Kendra, but _Grindelwald_.

When his fingers met the sheer surface of the mirror, Dumbledore snapped out of his reverie and whisked out of the room without bothering to explore it more.

He stormed back to his office, distraught. The Mirror had not helped him in any way, no. He couldn't still be in love with Grindelwald… he was a Dark wizard who had killed Muggles relentlessly, become an outlaw, broken the Statute of Secrecy…

The only thing he could think of that the Mirror had been helpful for was that he now knew he had made the right choice about sending Newt to face Grindelwald. If it came down to firing a curse at Grindelwald, Dumbledore wasn't sure if he could bring himself to do it.

 **A/N: If you would, tell me what you think about this take on Dumbledore's character. I have never written Dumbledore before, so any feedback would be appreciated!**

— **Floppy Katana**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

 **In which Newt goes to the circus and things go down.**

Newt stared up at the high Paris buildings as he strode towards the park he knew could take him to the Rue de Goguillon. The shade of the trees in the park was a welcome respite to the sweltering heat of the city streets.

Newt passed several fountains and ponds full of greenish water, then came up to a bluish-green statue that turned her head almost imperceptibly as he moved. He quickly checked to make sure no one was around, then slid through the small hole that had appeared under the statue's dress.

Newt stepped through, and there was the Rue de Goguillon. It was like any other Paris street, with clean sidewalks and bustling pedestrians. But there was an aspect of magic to it… the buildings were very slightly off-kilter, the storefronts were chock-full of magical items, and the people walking by were all dressed in wizards' robes.

Newt eyed the shops with some interest; he wanted to check out that magical menagerie, but he didn't want to have to torture anyone with his crude attempts at French.

And plus, he wasn't there for touring. He was there to look for news of Grindelwald, to report back to Dumbledore, and, if necessary, fight Grindelwald.

As he looked up and down the street, he saw nothing outwardly abnormal. The French witches and wizards looked slightly on-edge, but seemed normal other than that.

Newt decided that it was a good idea to follow the flow of people and see what they were doing. After all, Newt had learned that the best way to learn about beasts was to live among them.

He slipped into a crowd of excited, young witches and wizards that wore robes of bright blue silk; obviously, they were Beauxbatons students off for the weekend.

He followed them down the street to a wide square. Set up in the middle was a large tent, bearing the words _Cirque Arcanus_.

Newt followed the students to the front of the tent, where small children were jumping into bubbles that soare up into the air. _That is some pretty interesting magic_ , thought Newt. He looked over to the pictures drawn on the tent and saw an Oni Oni and something called an enchanting snake girl.

 _Possibly a parselmouth_ , thought Newt.

Newt's curiosity was peaked, so he bought a ticket with some of the money he had got from the sales of his book

The inside of the tent was quite crowded, even though it was charmed to be much bigger on the inside. Newt didn't like cramped spaces, so he stayed near the door.

Someone bumped into him and said a muffled, "pardon."

Newt was struck by the familiarity of the word.

"Hang on," said Newt. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The man who had bumped into him turned around, and for the first time, Newt got a good look at his new acquaintance. He was dressed fashionably, with intelligent eyes and dark skin. There was an undeniable familiarity to him, but Newt couldn't place it.

"My name is Newt Scamander. Would you mind my asking what your name is? You remind me of someone."

"Oh," said the wizard. "Please forgive my English, I am not very practiced in it. My name is Yusuf Kama."

"Kama," said Newt, disappointed. "I'm afraid I don't recognize it."

"It's fine," said Kama. "What brings you to the cirque?"

"Erm… I'm just… just looking."

Kama's intelligent eyes seemed to pick up on the fact that Newt knew more than he let on.

"I see, then," said Kama. "I am just looking, as well. Bien! The show is starting!"

Kama turned his brown eyes down to the small stage, where a man wearing purple robes was standing.

"Bienvenue! Welcome!" he said. "You are in for a treat today! On behalf of the Circus Arcanus, I'd like to welcome you to our first showing in Paris! Starting off, we'll have the snake-charming enchantress, Nagini."

A tall, sleek woman wearing a snakeskin outfit walked out onto the stage holding a gigantic snake that looked like a boa constrictor with three heads, which Newt recognized as a Runespoor. Several people in the crowd backed up in fear as the snake came into view. Newt watched, transfixed, as the Maledictus whispered in Parseltongue to the snake, which began coiling around her arms. He saw Kama and the Beauxbatons students from earlier watching the snake coil around the Maledictus.

The show continued on until Newt couldn't tell woman from snake. Then, the lights went out with a crack, and when they came back on, the Maledictus and her snake had disappeared.

"Next up is our beast exhibition!"

A kappa, an Oni Oni, and a grindylow were brought out. They were all fairly common creatures, and Newt slumped in boredom. Then, someone brought out a phoenix.

"This is the prize of our collection! The phoenix is a very rare beast, and incredibly difficult to catch."

Seeing the majestic bird in captivity made Newt very mad. He thought it was probable that the phoenix had been trafficked, and the odd angle it held its right wing made Newt cringe in pain.

"Now that we have the beasts out, get ready for our next act: the beast-calmer!"

There was a thunderous roar from deep within the magically expanded tent. Newt closed his eyes, trying to tell what beast could have made it, but he didn't recognize it.

The lights went out again, and millions of tiny, glowing, golden bubbles formed a kind of shield over the stage.

When the lights came back on, the bubbles turned clear.

Newt fixed his eyes on the entrance to the stage, completely unprepared for who was about to come through.

"Credence?" yelled Newt

Kama reacted, too, but that was the least of Newt's worries.

But that wasn't the end of it. The roar came again, and then a massive brown beast with abnormally long tail burst through the entrance.

"That's a Zouwu!" said Newt panickedly, to no one in particular. "I thought they were extinct!"

Newt's keen eyes could see welt marks where the feline beast had been whipped. He was filled with anger at the circus-keepers.

Down in the enclosure, the Zouwu bellowed at Credence, who was shooting black matter out of his hand. It made a sort of dark cloud around the Zouwu, which seemed to sink into a daze.

All of the sudden, there was a loud crack and five indistinct figures Apparated into the stage area.

Before Newt could do anything, four of the five people started sending spells into the audience. He saw someone with a shock of bright-white hair approaching Credence— _it was Grindelwald_!

It was chaos inside the tent—most of the spectators had been Stunned, and the others that still stood were fleeing.

"Stupefy!" yelled Newt, diving down behind a chair. He shot a spell down into the stage. He managed to hit one of Grindelwald's team, but not Grindelwald himself. In the moment he took to shoot the spell, he saw that the Zouwu was breaking free of Credence's black cloud.

The tent was mostly clear now, and Newt could see two other people still in the stands. Kama was there, hunkering down behind a chair, his wand drawn.

The other person in the audience aside from himself and Kama—and there was nothing he could do to prepare for this—was Tina Goldstein.

Newt saw her just as she flung a Stunner down at Grindelwald. Without turning away from Credence, Grindelwald blocked her spell.

"Come on, Grindelwald," said a voice that Newt thought was somewhat familiar. "Reasoning with him won't work! Let's take him by force."

"Credence!" yelled Tina. "Don't do this!"

Newt chanced another glance down and saw that Credence was struggling to keep his Obscurus inside of him. As he watched, several trails of black smoke burst from Credence's chest, and then the Obscurus escaped.

The uncontrollable mass did a whole circle of the podium, destroying chairs and railings and starting fires. Then the Obscurus lunged towards the entrance to the tent, destroying the invisible cage of bubbles that was formed around the stage.

Just then, a team of French Aurors Apparated in. They shot a shower of spells into the stage just as Grindelwald and his team Disapparated. One of the spells hit the Zouwu, and it came out of its daze.

It roared in rage and galloped down the path Credence's Obscurus had cleared through the smoldering tent.

"Merlin's beard!" said Newt, sprinting down onto the stage and putting the loose beasts into his case to save them from the fire.

"Newt!"

Newt looked back to see who had yelled at him. It was Tina.

"What are you doing?" yelled Tina, sprinting after him. "We need to save Credence!"

"The Zouwu! I thought they were extinct!"

"Let the French Aurors handle it! It went into a No-Maj street!"

Newt saw the Aurors heading the same direction that he was.

"They're going to kill it!"

Tina knew what he was going to do. She stopped running and allowed Newt to run farther away. "Newt, you _can't_. You can't break the law!"

"I have to," said Newt, still running away. "If I can protect this one, I might be able to save the species!"

Tina turned haughtily and Disapparated to go after Credence, though she had lost a lot of time in running after Newt.

Newt chased after the Zouwu, which had just upturned a Muggle automobile. Muggles on the street had fled in terror from the terrible beast.

"Hey!" yelled Newt, who had just caught up to the beast. The Zouwu turned away from the car and roared at him. Newt opened the suitcase in front of him.

He could hear the clattering of footsteps as the French Aurors came ever closer. He had to work quickly, or they might kill the Zouwu before he could get it in the case.

"Zǒu jìn xínglǐ xiāng," said Newt, bowing his head. Newt had read about Zouwus before, but had never seen one, even when he had gone to China to look for them. If there was even one more Zouwu of the opposite gender in the wild, it was possible that Newt could set up a breeding program to prevent their extinction.

"Jìnlái," said Newt.

The massive beast roared once more, then charged at him. Newt backed up a bit, cringing in fear, but he needn't have. While it charged towards Newt, the Zouwu's paw fell into the case and the entire body was consumed by the suitcase.

The case fastened itself shut, then flew into Newt's hand. He had Disapparated before the French Aurors could react.

Tina ran through the streets of No-Maj Paris, following the path of destruction Credence had wreaked on the city.

No-Majs stared up at the wrecked buildings in an odd combination of awe and fear. Tina wished Frank the Thunderbird were here; then, the No-Majs could all be Obliviated.

She scanned the skyline for any sign of Credence, but he was missing.

"By Deliverance Dane, I've lost him again!" she yelled in dismay, slamming her foot angrily on the ground.

Tina had spent the last month tracking Credence down, following him all the way from New York. Now Gellert Grindelwald and Newt Scamander had poisoned her day by letting him slip through her fingers.

Taking her wand from her sleeve, she Obliviated the gathered No-Majs then Apparated to a dark alley.

A scowl heavy on her face, Tina kicked at a piece of trash. Credence had probably gone somewhere else with that Maledictus character.

She was most upset with Newt. She might have been able to catch up with Credence if he had done the logical thing and helped her track Credence. But no… he had gone and tried to catch this Zowoo beast that was destroying a No-Maj street. He _knew_ that he was going to become a criminal if he interfered with the French Aurors, so why had he done so?

Tina had to know.

"Expecto patronum!"

When he had finished tending to the now-peaceful Zouwu's injuries, Newt found the phoenix. It was still caged, so Newt undid the latch and took the bird out.

The scarlet-and-gold bird blinked up at him with doleful eyes, and Newt was struck by how very Gryffindor the phoenix was.

"Let's have a look at your wing," said Newt. He set the phoenix down on the table and started to tend to its injured wing. The bird seemed to know that Newt was helping, for it stayed perfectly still as Newt applied the essence of dittany to the wound and straightened the bone with his wand.

"So sorry—this is going to hurt quite a bit."

When he was done healing the injury, Newt carried the phoenix up to a perch next to his Fwooper.

"It'll need a few days to heal, but I daresay that you will be fine after that."

The phoenix made a loud, throbbing cry that filled Newt with a very Gryffindorish urge of bravery. Two feathers fell from its tail, which Newt pocketed.

Newt made his way over to the new Zouwu habitat and began creating a door hinge.

Tina's Patronus came to a stop right behind Newt as he was putting up a new enclosure for the Zouwu with his wand.

New turned around, looking at the luminescent porcupine.

"Oh, hello!" said Newt. "You're back. That's odd, I didn't say the incantation…"

Then, it opened its mouth and began to speak in Tina's voice.

"Meet me at the Dragon's Den, that's on the Rue de Garnier. Wear a Disillusionment Charm until you get here."

"OK...," said Newt as the porcupine scurried away.

It deeply confused Newt that Tina's Patronus was a porcupine. The science of Patronuses was disputed and oftentimes very inaccurate, but if what he had read was indeed correct, a change in the form of a Patronus could indicate—

Newt sprang out of his thoughts and realized that in his reverie he had allowed the hinge on the gate to swell until it was as large as the gate itself.

He quickly shrank it to a normal size and climbed out of the case.

He shrank his case and secured it in his pocket. Then, he performed a Disillusionment Charm on himself and felt the disconcerting sensation of being invisible.

Then, he Disapparated, leaving the small clearing behind with a quiet _snap_.

He Apparated right into the park with the statue. As he passed people walking by, some of them wizards, no doubt, he froze. He kept getting the feeling that everyone could see him.

He walked through the passageway under the statue and came out in the Rue de Goguillon. A dark alley wound its way through the more disreputable-looking side of the street. Newt took this to be the Rue de Garnier.

He followed the winding alley for a few paces, taking a deep breath to steady himself. This was just like going into a beast's den, no different.

Claustrophobia overtook him as the walls grew closer on either side—if anyone came through when Newt was standing there, they would most certainly bump into him and raise the alarm.

Fortunately, he ran into no one. He came to the end of the alley and undid the Disillusionment Charm. A shabby-looking door barred the way.

Six years at Hogwarts had taught Newt to be exceptionally gifted at opening doors and guessing passwords, so Newt was up to the challenge.

"Erm… Flibbertigibbet… Oddment… Balderdash… Automobile… Toffee… Cherry… no? Argh, let's try something else. Pumpkin Pasty… Chocolate Frog… Galleon… Open sesame?"

The door remained unmoving.

"You might want to try knocking," said a slightly callous voice from behind him.

Newt spun around. "Merlin's beard, Tina! Could you not sneak up on me like that?"

"It comes with being an Auror, I'm afraid," said Tina sternly.

 **A/N: I know there are several inconsistencies with the last trailer, like the whole part about Nagini, but I wrote this story before it came out so I just left them as is. Newt's lines in Mandarin supposedly mean something like, "Come in the case," but I'm not sure if Google Translate can be trusted. Oh, and Goguillon and Garnier were both real life "witches" that lived in France, in case you were wondering.**

 **Since I missed posting last week, today is a double update. Hope you like it!**

 **Floppy Katana**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

 **In which Tina realizes it's hard to be mad at a cinnamon roll and Newt meets some of Dumbledore's weird friends.**

A few minutes later, Newt and Tina were sitting at a table inside the Dragon's Den. It was a very shady place, much like the Blind Pig in New York.

Newt was sure that if he understood French, he would be very worried about the dealings of the goblins, vampires, giants, and hags that sat at the surrounding tables.

"Nice place," said Newt, trying to use sarcasm.

"I didn't want to risk the chance that anyone would recognize you," replied Tina. "Or, if they do recognize you, they wouldn't dare turn you in because they're outlaws, too."

"An outlaw?" said Newt. "Me, an outlaw?"

Tina nodded. "You're wanted by the French Ministry of Magic for going after that creature from the circus. What was it, anyway?"

"The Chinese call them Zouwus. Sorry—my Mandarin is quite bad. We Westerners tend to call them Crumple-horned Snorkacks, but I think that sounds mildly absurd, so I use their Chinese name regardless of my terrible accent."

In spite of the situation, Tina found herself laughing. For a minute, she forgot her anger at Newt. She quickly stopped laughing when she remembered.

"You shouldn't've gone after it," she said solemnly. "Now you're a criminal again, and the French Aurors are not going to be as nice to you as I was in New York."

Newt nodded determinedly, his jaw set. "I may have just saved the Zouwus from extinction," said Newt. "I couldn't live with myself knowing that I could've saved it."

Tina nodded sadly. Newt's devotion to magical beasts was a factor that Newt would not be himself without. Though it had got him in a lot of trouble over the years, it was what made Newt, well, Newt.

"In your last letter I heard that you were still looking for Credence. I'm very sorry he slipped away again."

"It's OK," said Tina, who couldn't believe she was already forgiving Newt. "And you—have you managed to round up the other beasts from the circus?"

"Yes, they're all doing fine."

Pickett peeked his head out of Newt's coat pocket and chirped when he saw Tina.

"Hello, Pickett," said Tina, her brown eyes twinkling as she smiled. "He still has attachment issues?"

Newt smiled. "He's come to think of me as his tree. It's no use trying to get him to join the other Bowtruckles."

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to look for Credence," said Tina, standing up. "I assume you'll be tracking Grindelwald?"

Newt nodded, rising as well.

There was a strained silence as both of them thought about how frequently their farewells seemed to come. Newt extended his hand. Tina shook it tentatively.

Using their arms as a bridge, Pickett climbed over to Tina's shoulder. He squeaked in triumph at his feat of acrobatics.

"Looks like Pickett wants to go with you," said Newt with a weak smile. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," said Tina, looking warmly at her new companion and then glancing momentarially at Newt.

And without another word, she swept out of the door of the Dragon's Den and into the alley outside.

Early the next morning, a Patronus message woke Newt from his slumber. He had to rub his eyes several times to realize what it was.

The silvery-white phoenix said, in Dumbledore's voice, "Newt, I have three contacts in Paris that I'd like for you to take refuge with. If you Apparate to these coordinates (48.833817° North, 2.332491° East), you will end up in his house. Thank you."

Newt heeded the Patronus message's advice and Apparated to the coordinates. In mid-Apparation, he noticed that he still hadn't changed his coat back to the customary grey.

He rematerialized in a bright apartment with lopsided window panes and tables covered in all sorts of unnameable shiny objects. Some were spinning idly, others standing stationary, and Newt could not come up with uses for any of them.

"Oh, hello," said a frail voice ahead of Newt. A short man who looked as if he had been immersed in white paint bustled towards him, wearing a pale dressing gown that only served to accentuate his paleness. "You must be Mr. Scamander. Albus told me you would be stopping by today."

He held out a bone-white hand and Newt shook it. A loud, unpleasant-sounding _crack_ came from the old man's knuckles. "Oh, so sorry, I didn't—"

"Oh, it's fine, my boy," said the short man, though his screwed-up face told Newt otherwise. "My name is Nicholas Flamel, by the way."

"Newt Scamander," said Newt hurriedly. "Nice to make your acquaintance."

"Perenelle, Mr. Ollivander, Mr. Scamander is here," said Flamel, calling through the house. "Our dear friend, Mr. Ollivander, is staying here for the week," added Flamel, noting the confused look on Newt's face.

A tall woman with the same whitish complexion as Nicholas Flamel came into the room next.

"Allow me to introduce my wife, Perenelle," said Flamel.

Newt shook her hand politely, making sure to do so very lightly as to avoid cracking her knuckles as he had done to her husband.

Next came Garrick Ollivander, whose glowing, bulbous eyes would not have looked out of place on a goldfish.

"Newton Scamander," he said distantly. "Ah, I remember your wand. Ash, with a handle of mother-of-pearl, I believe?"

"Yes," said Newt, slightly creeped out by the wandmaker's eerie expression.

"You've had an owl, Mr. Scamander," said Perenelle. "I think it's from Dumbledore."

Newt walked over to the window, where an owl perched on the sill. Newt removed the letter from the owl's leg and unwrapped it.

 _Newt,_

 _My people have located Grindelwald's hideout. It's Unplottable, so there's no way of me giving you coordinates. His base is in the catacombs under the city, probably about five blocks west of your current position. I believe you can access it through the door to an uninhabited apartment._

 _I want you to perform reconnaissance on his base, but you'll need backup. As you currently are wanted by the French Ministry of Magic, I think it would be best if you would not contact them. I heavily recommend that you call upon your brother Theseus, Leta Lestrange, and Porpentina Goldstein for backup. I know you may not have the healthiest relationship with any of them right now, but you must do this for the sakes of wizards and Muggles everywhere._

 _A. P. W. B. Dumbledore_

Newt couldn't believe his eyes. Dumbledore wanted _him_ to go Grindelwald's base? If he was to go in, the chances would be high that he would be found out. How was he supposed to fight Grindelwald and all of his followers? The Dark wizard and his accomplices had proven time and again that they were notoriously good at defeating Aurors.

He did not want to reach out to Theseus and Leta, and he didn't want to bother Tina, as she was certainly off on Credence's trail.

"Expecto patronum!" yelled Newt.

The porcupine looked up at him kindly.

"I want you to send a message to Dumbledore. Ask him why he can't help, please. Only a powerful wizard like Dumbledore could stand a chance against Grindelwald. Sending me there would be suicide."

The porcupine nodded, then zoomed out the open window to the north.

"An interesting Patronus," said Ollivander, remarking on the porcupine. "Have you had it for a while?"

"No," said Newt, surprised at Ollivander's perceptiveness. "It's quite new."

"Ah," said Ollivander knowingly, his unblinking eyes staring right at Newt's.

Newt was thoroughly perturbed by the old man. He found eye contact uncomfortable, especially with Ollivander, so he was trying to look anywhere but the old wandmaker's face.

It was getting to be extremely uncomfortable. Newt remembered the phoenix feathers in his pocket and gave them to Ollivander, hoping that they would serve to distract the old wizard.

"These feathers are from the phoenix that they were keeping at the Circus Arcanus," said Newt. "I'm not going to have any use for them."

Ollivander held the two feathers in his hands, feeling their weight. "These came from a phoenix of immense power," he said gravelly. "The wands these feathers shall be cores of will certainly be wielded by the strongest wizards of the next age."

Newt shivered a little, perturbed by Ollivander's spooky expression. Nevertheless, Ollivander soon moved off to another room, presumably to make the feathers into wands, and Newt sighed in relief.

Dumbledore had just finished teaching a Transfiguration class when Newt's Patronus message zoomed into his classroom.

"Professor," said the porcupine, "with all due respect, sending me to Grindelwald's hideout would be asking me to commit suicide. I have followed your instructions until this point, but now I am reluctant to put myself into such danger. If it is your wish, then I will do as you have told and ask Theseus and Leta for help, and then I will go into the catacomb even if it mean losing my life.

"If you would be so kind as to give my case to my assistant, Bunty, I am sure she will make sure to keep the creatures looked after. But there is one thing I would like to know before I do this—why must it be me to confront Grindelwald? You are an obviously superior wizard, yet you have sent me to do this task."

Dumbledore sighed heavily. His mind swept away to memories of his childhood, of Hogwarts, of Grindelwald.

"I've sent an innocent man to his death," he said slowly, moving over to the large basin in the corner.

The pensieve slid into view, the silvery matter inside the basin swirling idly.

Dumbledore drew his thoughts out of his temple and dropped them into the pensieve. Then, he leant forward and felt the odd sensation of falling.

A younger Dumbledore and Grindelwald sat in the snow in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow, poring over papers and huddling around the blue fire Grindelwald had made in a jar. But they were not doing homework, as it would seem from a distance.

"Gellert, I agree with you that wizard dominance is better, but we cannot rule irresponsibly. Though we wizards are superior, the Muggles still pose a threat and we cannot afford to anger them."

"Whatever we do is for the Greater Good, Al, remember that," said Grindelwald, chewing on his quill before it darted back down to the parchment and scribbled out another line. "Whether or not the Muggles get in the way is their problem."

The younger Dumbledore pursed his lips as if he wanted to protest, but he seemed to decide otherwise.

The thoughts in the pensieve became murky, until another shape pulled itself from the fog. The Dumbledore in this memory was slightly older than the previous one had been. He had just finished writing a letter, and was reading it through. Present-Dumbledore moved closer to see what his younger counterpart had written.

 _Gellert—_

 _Your point about Wizard dominance being_ _FOR THE MUGGLES' OWN GOOD_ — _this, I think, is the crucial point. Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis for all our counterarguments. We must seize control_ _FOR THE GREATER GOOD_ _. And from this it follows that where we meet resistance, we must use only the force that was necessary and no more. (This was your mistake at Durmstrang! But I do not complain, because if you had not been expelled, we would never have met.)_

 _Albus_

Dumbledore had seen enough. He pulled himself out of the pensieve and went to sit in his study.

Though he looked calm from the outside, he was instead feeling quite the opposite. His visit in the pensieve had reawakened his memories of his rebellious teenage years. He had put a sort of mental block on his youth; the pain of losing Ariana, Kendra, and Gellert was too much to experience on a day-to-day basis. Seeing himself again as a young man again had reminded him of how devoted he had been to the cause of having wizardkind rise above Muggles. When he had fallen out with Grindelwald all those years ago after Ariana's death, he had disassociated himself with his and Grindelwald's plans.

Now that he looked back on the ideas he and Grindelwald had had, he couldn't believe that he had really advocated in that cause and planned to take over the world with Grindelwald at his side.

"It is our choices that show what we truly are," he told himself, looking out onto the quiet grounds. "I chose to revoke that path long ago. Gellert chose to continue with his dream, our dream, our terrible, diabolical dream. He made the wrong choice."

Dumbledore shifted in his chair, sadness veiling his normally cheerful eyes.

 **A/N: That letter is directly from** _ **Deathly Hallows**_ **, chapter 18, if you want to look it up. Once again, I don't own Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts. Let me know what you think about this story in the reviews!**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

 **In which Theseus is a jerk and Leta is awesome.**

Newt stood nervously on the street corner, scanning every pedestrian to see if Theseus and Leta were among them. He had summoned them to this location, but he wasn't yet sure if they were coming.

He was extremely nervous about the whole, dreaded task of facing Grindelwald. If Theseus and Leta were indeed going to help him, he wasn't sure if even their companionship would help defeat Grindelwald.

That was not to say that Theseus wasn't handy in a duel; his status as a war hero hadn't come from nothing. He and Leta were currently working in the French Ministry as liaisons to the British Ministry.

Ah, Leta Lestrange. Though they had shared a very close friendship at Hogwarts, Newt hadn't spoken to Leta in years, and now she was engaged to his brother. Newt didn't blame Leta for her choice; Theseus was taller than him, more dashing, and much more socially apt than he was. Even so, that didn't stop him from feeling a trifle bitter at her.

Newt was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Leta and her fianceé until they were right under his nose.

"Brother," said Theseus with a somewhat subdued smile. Even though Newt was of considerable height, his elder brother still towered over him.

He gave Newt a hug, then backed up.

Leta Lestrange was standing to the side of him, her hair looking impeccable, as if each strand had been individually drawn on by a professional artist.

Newt didn't look her in the eye; instead, he focused in a pothole in the road over her left shoulder.

"Newt," she said in greeting. Her tone was not unkind, but not outwardly welcoming, either.

"Leta," said Newt, with a curt nod.

"Lead on," said Theseus stoically. "I'd hate to keep Grindelwald waiting."

Leta and Theseus followed Newt down the street, both holding their wands inside their Muggle clothing. Newt, nerves for the possible oncoming fight coursing through him, led the way to the approximate position Dumbledore had told him about.

A tall townhouse stood in the way. It seemed to fit the description Dumbledore had given; it was a forlorn facade, with broken windows and an abandoned look about it.

"This is it," said Newt, turning to look at Theseus and Leta, who were surveying the old apartment. "Wands at the ready? Are you sure you're still willing to do it? I'll think none the worse of you if you decide to back out."

Theseus and Leta didn't nod, but that was probably out of fear.

Newt walked up the five steps to the door, but as soon as he touched the doorknob, he felt a jerk and the sense of Apparation.

In the whirl of transport, Newt surmised that the doorknob must've been a portkey. How else could he have been whisked away?

When the world righted itself, Newt found himself in a foreign room. Dozens of people dressed in wizards' robes whizzed by, some of them looking up at the dome-shaped atrium that formed the building's roof.

"What?" said Newt quietly.

"Come on," said a brusque voice. Newt felt his suitcase and wand being torn out of his hands.

"Theseus? Is that you?" asked Newt, whirling around.

The figure Newt knew was his brother gave no reply, only creating chains out of thin air which wrapped around Newt's wrists.

"Theseus, what're you doing?" said Newt, betrayed.

Theseus kept a firm hand on Newt's shoulders as he brought him into a room that could only be described as a cell.

"I'm sorry, Newton," said Theseus quietly, watching as Aurors filed into the room. They had obviously been waiting for Theseus to return with Newt; not one of them looked at all surprised at his appearance.

"You're a wanted man," continued Theseus. "I would have been breaking the law if I knew of your location and didn't turn you in. Plus, if we had gone in there with just the three of us, Grindelwald would have wiped us off the face of the earth."

Theseus abruptly turned out of the room and gestured for the Auror team to follow.

"Auros, nous allons aux catacombes où se cache Grindelwald," said a French Auror, walking after Theseus.

Newt looked very hurt as he watched the Aurors race out of the cell and down the hallway. Newt sat down on the hard prison bed.

"At least they won't send me to a death cell here in France," said Newt dejectedly.

Newt went over his options in his head, distinctly aware of the dead silence of the cell. The bars on the cell were magically reinforced, and since Pickett was with Tina, Newt couldn't use him to pick the lock on the gate. He still had the Swooping Evil up his sleeve, but that wouldn't be much help here, unless he released it when the cell door was open.

Newt wondered where his case was and if his creatures were safe.

Even all of his thinking did not distract him from Leta and Theseus' betrayal, which felt like a heavy weight attached to his stomach.

Newt rose from his thoughts when he heard a clattering from the hallway. He stood near the front of the cell, his hands gripping the bars. On the other side of the hallway, other prisoners were doing the same.

It was Leta.

"Leta, what are you doing here?"

"Getting you out! Now stay silent. I had to get through about five security checkpoints to get here, so you had better not ruin this escape for me," responded Leta, throwing a spell at the lock. The door crashed inward and Newt hurried after her.

They sprinted along the hallway, ignoring the inmates' leers to either side.

"Watch out!" yelled Newt, pointing to two prison guards.

With a quick set of hexes, Leta sent them sprawling. Newt was in awe of Leta's skill at hexes.

Up ahead, at the end of the hallway, they could see the large atrium. Leta threw out a hand to warn Newt to slow down. Newt nodded to show that he understood. They would have to blend in with the crowd to get out of the Anti-Apparation Area.

Leta stepped forward into the domed area slowly, looking from side to side. Fortunately, it seemed as if most of the Aurors had been deployed to storm Grindelwald's hideout and there were none in sight.

"Come on, Newt!" said Leta.

Newt moved to follow Leta, just as a voice bellowed from behind him.

"PRISONERS ARE ESCAPING!"

Newt reached into his sleeve and pulled out the Swooping Evil as he turned. He flung the cocoon out just as his eyes focused on a guard that was standing behind him.

The Swooping Evil barreled into the guard and knocked him over onto the floor, but the damage was already done. Some off-duty Aurors had heard the guard and they were running towards Newt and Leta.

Newt summoned the Swooping Evil back into his hand with a clicking noise and sprinted after Leta. Witches and wizards were clearing a path for them, adding to the sense of confusion that surrounded the Atrium.

"The zone ends at the end of the hall," said Leta, pointing at an area with the floor colored gold.

Newt redoubled his efforts and caught up with Leta. They were closing on the gold-tiled area—spells were shooting over their heads as they drew closer.

"Oh, no!" yelled Leta, looking over her shoulder. "Matagots!"

The Aurors had just released three sleek, black cats with glowing eyes. The Matagots were galloping after them, their glowing blue eyes fixed on Newt and Leta.

"Marvelous! Matagots!" said Newt happily, forgetting their haste and turning around to get a good look at the growling cats. "I've always wanted to see one in person!"

"Come on, Newt," said Leta, pulling him the last few meters and Disapparating with a loud crack.

They Apparated into a typical-looking Versailles flat.

"This is where Theseus and I live," said Leta, catching her breath.

Newt looked around the room distractedly. "Leta, I'm curious," he said finally. "Why did you break me out? I thought you knew Theseus was using me."

"No," said Leta, her almond-shaped eyes sorrowful. "I had no idea of his motives. That was a very nasty thing he did—using you like that. I'm going to knock some sense into him as soon as he gets back."

"You think he'll be back soon?" asked Newt.

"Yes," said Leta, looking out a window. "The news of my involvement in your escape will not go unnoticed for long."

And just as she said it, Theseus Apparated into the center of the room. He scanned the room and strode over to Leta.

"Leta, dear," he said concernedly, "why'd you do it? It wasn't _him_ , was it? You owe nothing to him, nothing!"

"Be quiet, Theseus," said Leta, turning away from Newt. "You're his brother, and you betrayed him in the nastiest way I could think of."

"Leta," said Theseus warningly.

"Don't you argue with me," spat the Lestrange. "You owed it to Newt to not turn him in. The least you could've done is turn a blind eye… He's your brother, for Merlin's sake."

Theseus slumped in defeat.

"Newt and I are going to the catacomb," said Leta assertively, regaining her composure. "Are you coming?"

"You'll find nothing there," said Theseus dejectedly. "There was no catacomb in the basement of that townhouse." Theseus was struck by a sudden idea and a suspicious look spread across his features. "Was it you, Newt? You thought I would betray you so you led me to the wrong house? I wouldn't have thought you had it in you, Newt."

"No—no, it wasn't on purpose. It must've been the wrong townhouse. Dum—rather—my informant," said Newt, barely catching his mistake, "told me that the catacombs were near the area that I led you to first. My informant said it was a very old, run-down house."

"That shouldn't be too hard to find," said Theseus, shrugging his coat on. "Leta, dear, would you mind grabbing a bite to eat from the kitchen?"

"Sure, honey," said Leta sweetly, completely changing her attitude. As soon as Leta was out of the room, Theseus seized Newt's hand and they Disapparated.

"What was that for?" said Newt angrily.

"Couldn't put Leta in danger," said Theseus brusquely.

"You know as well as I that she is indispensable in a fight," protested Newt.

"Well, there's not much you can do about it now," said Theseus, his face set.

Newt shrugged in defeat. He had learned long ago that he was unable to win an argument with Theseus, and he was in no mood to try.

"We're about half a block south of the spot that I mistakenly thought was Grindelwald's hideout," said Newt, pointing at the black ribbon that covered the buildings up at the street. The French Ministry used the charmed black ribbon to ward off the Non-Magique, who would instantly remember appointments and leave the site completely befuddled.

"That means that if we go north a bit and look around, we might find the real base," said Theseus.

He started heading down the street.

"We had best keep a low profile while we pass the Aurors," warned Newt. "They're still prowling for clues. They might recognize us."

Newt, who had neither a wand nor his case, felt very small as he walked down the empty street.

He flexed his wrist and caused a balled-up newspaper to skitter across the ground.

Newt sighed. His wandless magic was feeble compared with his skill with a wand, but it was all he had, apart from the Swooping Evil. If he wasn't worried that he would lead the French Ministry to the Flamels' house, Newt would have got a wand from Mr. Ollivander.

"Look smart," said Theseus, interrupting his thoughts. "Don't look at the Aurors."

Huddled together, the brothers turned right, pretending to ignore the black ribbon that covered the building across the street. As soon as they were out of view of the black sheet, Newt and Theseus breathed out sighs of relief.

They took the next left and examined all of the townhouses on that street.

"Any of these, Newt?" asked Theseus.

"There!"

It was a very narrow townhouse, squished between two larger ones, where presumably an alley had once been. It was abandoned, but not derelict.

"That looks like it," said Newt. "Are you ready?"

Newt looked at the street one last time, and was surprised to see that someone else was walking up to their position

"Kama?" asked Newt, surprised.

"You're the man from the circus?" responded Kama. "Are you going after Grindelwald?"

"Erm, yes," Newt admitted, "but how did you know?"

"I saw you using wandless magic on the street back there," he said, gesturing over his shoulder. "I knew the only reason that wizards would come so close to the apparent hideout but remain hidden from the Aurors was that they were looking for the real hideout."

"Let's go," said Theseus.

Theseus approached the door, which hung lopsidedly on its hinges, and pushed it inward.

It was dark and musty inside, but when Theseus and Kama lit their wands, Newt could see that the floor bore definite signs of being trodden on recently. Newt could make out the distinct scuffs in the dust.

Newt checked the first light to the left. A bit of dim light shone through the grimy windows. A musty bookshelf, ransacked of books long ago, sat forlornly in the corner.

"Revelio," said Newt, moving his hands in front of him to help facilitate the wandless magic. The spell produced nothing unusual. "Nothing in here," said Newt.

Theseus and Kama had searched rooms of their own, all finding nothing.

"There's a cupboard," said Theseus, pointing to the small closet.

He strode forward and opened it. A bitter wind blew up from the dark stairwell, bringing with it a dank, moist smell.

They could hear the distant sound of voices far below. They paused at the top of the stairs as they heard a deep howl.

Newt swallowed, then started downward into the catacomb.

 **A/N: Another double update. There will be 7 chapters in total, for the number of Horcruxes Voldemort made. That means that next week will be the last chapter.**

 **If youse have any story ideas or prompts, feel free to leave a note in the reviews section. After this story, I have one other parody/comedy series of one-shots (vaguely) planned out for Harry Potter and possibly a bit of Fantastic Beasts. Also, I'm sure after I see** ** _Crimes_** **, there'll be tons of new material to write about in this fandom.**

— **Floppy Katana**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

 **In which Dumbledore is sorely tempted.**

As Newt carefully descended the stairs, he wondered who (or what) had let loose such an agonized howl. Terror seized at his heart like a cold hand, squeezing the life out of him. His breath was quick, his heartbeat rapid. He could scarcely see the next step; the other two had extinguished their wands to remain hidden in case anyone was looking their direction.

Newt wished he had an invisibility cloak—he made a mental note to trim Dougal's hair and have Madam Malkin make it into a cloak. The thought of Dougal reminded of his case, which was still at the French Ministry. He wished Leta had thought of his creatures when she had broken him out. He would feel much stronger if he knew his beasts were safe.

Finally, they came to the bottom of the stair, which was marked with a door.

"Alohomora," said Newt. He was satisfied to see that the door swung open.

"The Non-Magique made a mine down here many years ago," said Kama. "When one of their mines broke into the ancient Wizengamot, we disused the site and fled, making sure to hide the room very well."

They came into view of a large pile of rubble.

"It seems that the curses guarding it have been broken," said Kama.

Newt, Theseus, and Kama climbed over the rubble then came out into a huge amphitheatre. It was lit by a blazing blue flame which surrounded the circular stage at the center of the room. Large, stone columns shaped like phoenixes held up the dark roof.

Down in the center stood three people, and they were all looking up at the new entrants.

The first was unmistakably Grindelwald, what with his bright white hair and pale face. He stood next to Credence and the Maledictus, who were bound with dark blue chains. Credence's contorted face was full of pain; it seemed that the chains prevented him from taking Obscurus form. Holding the end of the chain was a smartly-dressed woman that Newt knew to be Vinda Rosier, who had impersonated Percival Graves and attempted to help him escape. And next to her was someone Newt would never have suspected— _Abernathy_.

"Mr. Scamander!" said Grindelwald as Newt, Theseus, and Kama walked down towards the blue flame. "We've been expecting you."

Theseus and Newt stood ahead of Kama, looking down onto the blue fire. In the style of wandwork he had used in the New York subway, Grindelwald flung his wand in a whipping motion and sent a jet of the blue flame shooting at Newt.

Newt jumped out of the way and shot a Stunning Spell at Vinda Rosier. However, his attempt was feeble and all it did was cause her to hesitate for a second.

Newt clambered behind a column and peered around the edge. Kama and Theseus had taken up defensive positions behind the nearest pillar, too. Newt looked down into the blue fire and saw that something was stirring in its depths—an indistinct shape was murkily pulling itself to the surface of the fire.

Newt looked up to the ceiling and saw that there were several loose-looking rocks embedded in the stone roof. Using all of his magical power, Newt forced the rocks apart and let then drop down onto the podium.

He looked down at the center when he heard the rocks clatter to the ground. The rocks brought with them a rain of dust, which formed a dense cloud.

The fire looked even more enraged now. As Newt watched, a shape pulled itself from the flames. Newt recoiled in shock as it formed into an enormous dragon, its body covered in intense bluish fire. It took a deep breath, then doused the columns with blue flames.

Newt felt the column he was hiding behind getting warm, then unbearably hot.

"Aguamenti!" yelled Newt and Theseus. Their shared spell had little effect; this was undoubtedly Fiendfyre.

The Fiendfyre dragon, with a triumphant roar, ceased its fire-breath, diminished in size, and rejoined the flames.

"Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?"

Newt looked weakly over at Theseus and Kama. They both looked exhausted.

Newt glanced back into the podium, and sank back with dread. Grindelwald, Rosier, and Abernathy were walking up the stairs, holding their wands menacingly.

Suddenly, there was a loud _crack_ and someone Apparated in.

Newt whirled around to the other side of the column to see who it was.

Dumbledore stood there in his sweeping deep blue robes, his bright blue eyes glowing like the Fiendfyre that churned around him.

Grindelwald spun around in shock.

"Albus!" he said, "what a pleasant surprise."

"Gellert," said Dumbledore quietly, "our paths cross again."

Grindelwald smiled fondly. "How did it come that we found ourselves on opposite sides of a war, Albus?" he asked.

"It started when you began killing Muggles," said Dumbledore, prowling in a circle. "I sent you that letter—that we should only use force if necessary. You turned to the Dark Arts to achieve your goal."

Dumbledore was using this conversation to scope out the room. He saw Newt, Theseus, and another person he couldn't fully make out hiding behind the phoenix-shaped pillars at the top of the ampitheatre. He sensed a strong Dark force nearby, probably coming from the Fiendfyre that encircled the podium.

"Our goal," corrected Grindelwald.

Dumbledore could feel Grindelwald spreading his manipulative tendrils throughout the room. He had always been particularly good at convincing people and making them question their own views.

"You remember, don't you, Albus," said Grindelwald, his mismatched eyes boring into Dumbledore's. "Oh, not only do you remember, but you still believe! Merlin's beard, you still believe that Muggles are inferior!"

Abernathy and Rosier came up on either side of Grindelwald, sneering.

"Dumbledore, the Muggles' champion," said Rosier snarkily. "Imagine what would happen if news of your past alliance with Grindelwald was to leak out."

"Quiet, Vinda," warned Grindelwald. Dumbledore sensed that Grindelwald was testing the water between them, trying to discern whether or not he could be persuaded to join his side.

"I care neither for shame nor ignominy," responded Dumbledore cooly. "All I care for is the welfare of my friends."

Grindelwald stood still and reached his wand into his pocket, where he was certainly holding the handle of his wand. "And," said Grindelwald darkly, "do you consider me your friend?"

Dumbledore looked up at Grindelwald, his heart beating fast as a hummingbird's wingbeat. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he was very tempted to join Grindelwald's side again. This is why Dumbledore had sent Newt after Grindelwald in the first place: He knew that he would be tempted with the prospect of joining Grindelwald and taking over the world.

Very firmly, he raised his voice and said, "Not unless you stop this now."

Grindelwald turned away from Dumbledore with a slight swagger. Rosier and Abernathy moved off to the side; they both knew what was coming. Grindelwald bent down and feigned interest in Credence and the Maledictus, who had toppled onto the floor, while meanwhile drawing his wand from his robes.

When Grindelwald turned around, Dumbledore met his stance, his wand drawn in the wink of an eye.

The room seemed to magically grow quiet; even the crackling Fiendfyre died down.

"Then," said Grindelwald softly, almost at a whisper, "we are at a parting of ways."

He smiled slightly, then a manic look grew in his eyes and he whipped his wand through the air. The duel between the two greatest wizards of the time had begun.

Leta looked both ways before starting down the next hallway, deep in the bowels of the French Ministry of Magic. Somewhere, she knew, was Newt's case. The Chief Auror, Courtois, had her office on this floor, and Leta had seen Theseus give the case to her.

Leta ran through the hall, checking the names written on the doors.

"Canard, Vernier, Delacour, Provence…," said Leta, anxiously reading them off as she sped by. "There! Courtois!"

Leta flung open the door, so eager about her find that she neglected to knock.

"Who—?" asked Courtois, getting up from her desk.

"Oh!" said Leta, taken aback. She had Transfigured her face to be slightly different, as she was still wanted for breaking Newt out and would be promptly thrown into jail if she was found out.

"Oh," said Courtois, a smile growing on her face. "You must be the new Auror recruit! Ravenelle, was it? I heard such great things from Madam Maxime and the other Beauxbatons teachers about you."

Leta couldn't believe her luck. As she moved towards Courtois' desk to shake her hand, Leta spied Newt's case out of the side of her eye. It was perched on a chair diagonal from Courtois' desk.

"Zank you, Madam Courtois," said Leta, faking a southern French accent with ease. "It will be a pleasure to serve under you. And I do apologize for ze intrusion, I was pushed into ze door by a most unpleasant—"

"Not to worry, ne vous en faites pas," said Courtois welcomingly. "I was just about to go up and help with the interrogations. We've got three people today; an old warlock from Versailles who flew his broom below regulation height, a witch who we're interrogating for Non-Magique baiting, and that American witch who's been snooping around Rue de Goguillon for the past few days."

Leta moved between Courtois and the case, blocking her line of sight. Using her wand behind her back, Leta shrank the case until it was the size of a deck of cards. Then, she Summoned it into her hand.

"Zey will be needing me back upstairs," said Leta, her brain working overtime. The American witch the French wizards were holding was probably Tina Goldstein, and if Leta was going to go through with her plan, she would need all the help she could get.

Leta started shifting towards the door. "I just wanted to meet you before ze interrogations; I have heard many wonderful things about your work."

Leta's skills at flattery were rewarded by a simpering smile from Madame Courtois.

As soon as Leta was out of the door, she broke into a run. Manipulation was second nature to her; she could always tell when people were susceptible to flattery. She was a Lestrange, after all.

While running, Leta expanded Newt's case to its normal size and galloped up the stairs to the interrogation rooms.

She dashed into the hallway with interrogation rooms on either side and looked through the small, barred windows. The first cell was occupied by a handful of Aurors and a batty-looking wizard with his grey hair all in a flurry. The next held a square-jawed witch who was curling her hair around her finger lazily as her black eyes bored into the wall.

"There!" said Leta in triumph as she reached the next room. She knocked politely on the next door.

When it opened, Leta swung the normal-sized case into the jaw of the person on the other side. With a whirl of her wand, Leta hexed the other Auror. The two interrogators collapsed onto the floor with dull thuds.

Tina stood up from the interrogation chair, completely taken aback. "Who are you?" said Tina.

"Leta Lestrange. Hop in," said Leta, dropping the case onto the floor and opening the latches.

Newt hugged tight to the pillar, barely daring to move for fear of being hit by one of the curses that were ricocheting everywhere.

Newt rolled onto his belly and peeked his head over the ledge so that he could see the duel going on down on the podium.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald were duelling with such incredible ferocity that Newt was worried that the ceiling might fall in. Dumbledore was launching hex after hex at Grindelwald, blocking the curses, then relentlessly commencing with an attack of his own.

Suddenly, their spells met in midair, a few golden beads balancing in the center of the stream of light. The beads quickly advanced towards Dumbledore's side of the beam, and he broke the spell by jerking his wand to the side.

"You've weakened," spat Grindelwald, summoning a wall of Fiendfyre from the circular brazier and sending it at Dumbledore.

"And you've strengthened!" replied Dumbledore, barely dodging the tower of enchanted fire. "Where did you find—ah—where'd you find it? The Elder Wand!"

Newt saw Grindelwald grin evilly. "Still after the Hallows, are you?" said Grindelwald.

Grindelwald shot eight spells at Dumbledore in quick succession, forcing him back until he was right next to the Fiendfyre.

Grindelwald's eyes were full of pure loathing. "The Hallows are mine!" he cried.

With his last word, a shockwave of Dark power emanated from Grindelwald, knocking Dumbledore onto the floor.

Grindelwald summoned all of the Fiendfyre into one enormous chimaera, which raised into the air above him and roared. The magnitude of the roar was so great that chunks of rock fell from the ceiling.

Newt shielded his eyes from the burning chimaera just as a loud _pop_ rang throughout the chamber.

Leta Apparated into the central circle, kneeling next to Newt's case. She opened it and a bright scarlet phoenix shot out and flew straight for the Fiendfyre.

"No!" yelled Newt. He didn't know what the phoenix was doing, but he knew it didn't bode well. The phoenix opened its mouth wide, emitted a glorious, warming cry, and flew straight at the chimaera. As Newt watched, the phoenix dive bombed into the Fiendfyre.

There was a massive explosion, followed by darkness.

Newt heard Dumbledore's deep voice boom, "LUMOS MAXIMA" and the room was once more bathed in light.

Grindelwald, Rosier, and Abernathy were getting to their feet, shaking dust from their robes.

As they were looking up at the dark cloud of smoke that was all that remained of both the phoenix and the Fiendfyre chimaera, they missed a gigantic brown shape pull itself from the case.

"Bash their heads in!" cried Tina, clutching tightly to the Zouwu's neck. The massive catlike beast charged at the three Dark wizards standing on the other side of the podium.

With an acrobatic lunge, the dark creature pounced on the spot where Grindelwald, Rosier, and Abernathy stood.

Rosier and Grindelwald Disapparated just in the nick of time, but Abernathy was not as quick. The Zouwu pinned him to the ground with one huge paw, knocking the breath out of his lungs before he could react.

A set of black chains pulled themselves from Tina's wand tip and wreathed through the air like a cobra before they wound around Abernathy.

The Zouwu lowered its mighty head down next to Abernathy's face and growled very deeply.

Tina looked distastefully down at her former colleague from between Margaret's shoulder bones.

"Don't bother trying to Disapparate," said Tina menacingly. "Those chains are bewitched. If you try to Disapparate, you'll get splinched."

Abernathy cowered in fear, and Tina found that she quite liked the intimidation factor that came with riding on the back of a Zouwu.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

 **In which loose ends are tied and Newt has a (very) dramatic exit.**

Newt, Theseus, and Kama emerged from behind the pillars and hurried down onto the podium. Theseus and Leta unraveled the chains from the Maledictus and Credence.

Newt could see from a distance that Credence was completely drained. His eyes were deadened and his head was lolling slightly. The Maledictus didn't look much better.

"I'm going to take Credence and Nagini to our flat," said Leta. "They need a good long rest to recover from this."

Newt was struck by how motherly Leta was acting. When he had been friends with her back at Hogwarts, she had never been this outgoing or caring. Newt decided that Theseus was a good impact on her, and instantly felt warmer to the both of them.

"OK, dear," said Theseus wearily. "Don't forget to take care of yourself. I'll be back as soon as we're done here."

Leta, holding Credence and the Maledictus tightly, Disapparated in a whirl of color.

Dumbledore approached Newt solemnly, looking more wizened than ever.

"I am glad that this battle turned in our favor," said Dumbledore. "I doubt that Grindelwald will be in a hurry to engage us again after that. Ah, Ms. Porpentina! I'm glad that you decided to join us."

"Well," said Tina, still riding atop the Zouwu, "it wasn't really my choice, but it's better to be here than be in an interrogation session."

Newt recoiled a bit upon learning this news. He had thought that Tina had come willingly.

Dumbledore gave a slow nod, then said, "we must remember that when we are divided, we are weaker than a Flobberworm. But when we stand united, we are stronger than the bravest Nundu."

Newt looked around at Kama, Theseus, Dumbledore, and Tina and breathed deeply. He wished he could hear more of the phoenix song to cheer him up. Thinking of the phoenix's demise just made him feel worse.

"Yusuf and I are taking Abernathy in to the French Ministry, Newt," said Theseus, who had befriended Kama during the fight. "Seeing how you two are still wanted by the French Auror Force, I think it's best if you lay low for awhile while we clear things up with them."

Newt nodded as Theseus, Kama, and Abernathy vanished.

The Zouwu snorted loudly and pawed at the ground, drawing Newt's attention.

"You're thinking of the phoenix, aren't you?" asked Tina, as Newt looked up where the cloud of smoke still hung.

"Yes," admitted Newt, biting his lip. Even though he had only known the phoenix for less than a day, he still felt deeply attached to it. "We all would have died if he hadn't swallowed the Fiendfyre."

Dumbledore swept by Newt and Tina, bent down, and picked something up from off the floor.

"There's no need for sorrow, my friends," said Dumbledore, cupping something in his hands. When he came closer, Newt saw that it was a phoenix chick.

"He's alive!" said Newt. "The Fiendfyre didn't kill him; it merely reverted him to a chick!"

Dumbledore made to give the phoenix back to Newt, but Newt refused.

"No, keep him, by all means, Professor," said Newt. "I don't think you could get him to leave you, anyway."

The baby phoenix cawed gently and snuggled into Dumbledore's palm.

"I do not deserve this," said Dumbledore, sadness filling his eyes. "I am as bad as Grindelwald for making you fight him. I was scared to fight Grindelwald; that's why I sent you. I was sorted into Gryffindor, but I never considered myself brave. Perhaps this phoenix will give me the bravery I need."

Newt ducked his head, not making eye contact. He didn't quite know how to respond.

"The phoenix only channels one's bravery," said Tina finally. "That means that you had all the bravery you needed all along."

"How did you…?" asked Newt.

"I couldn't for you to come back to New York to get your book. I bought a copy the day it came out in the U.S."

Newt looked flattered, but didn't say anything.

Dumbledore smiled fondly at Newt and Tina, then at his new pet. "I think I shall call him Fawkes, after the Muggle festival."

Newt and Tina exchanged a dubious look.

"Well, I had best be off to England before the Ministry realizes that I left. Merlin, I can't so much as leave the castle without getting tailed by them. Good to make your acquaintance, Ms. Goldstein. Goodbye, Newt."

He gave a short bow, tipped his hat, then vanished, leaving Newt and Tina alone in the ancient room.

"Merlin's beard, I'm exhausted," said Newt, helping Tina get down from atop the Zouwu.

"Me, too," said Tina. "When I went off to look for Credence, the French Aurors caught me and took me in for questioning. They were interrogating me when Leta got me free."

Suddenly, a loud chirp came from Tina's pocket.

Pickett crawled out and gave a large yawn.

"Don't tell me you slept through all that," said Newt incredulously.

Pickett held his arms out like a baby, and Newt gently picked him up from Tina's shoulder.

Tina smiled. Watching the quirky magizoologist interact with his creatures always brought a smile to her face.

"I need to get on the road to China," said Newt, setting Pickett back on his shoulder. "If there are any more Zouwus out there, I need to find them before the traffickers do."

"You won't stay?" said Tina, surprised. "Not even for a day? We still have to find out what's going on with Credence."

Newt shook his head. "Being around Theseus and Leta has been awkward in the extreme. I don't want to prolong it if I can. And I have a mission, anyway."

"You'll at least say goodbye to them?"

Newt sighed. "A Patronus message will do," he said.

He looked at Tina and thought once more about how the form of his Patronus had changed into a porcupine. Upon much contemplation, he decided that he still didn't understand whatever it was that had changed his Patronus.

He would keep it hidden, for now; he didn't understand it himself.

Whirling his newly-returned wand, Newt said, "expecto patronum!"

He mentally willed the indistinct white shape to zoom away quickly, before Tina could notice that he was blocking its true form.

"What's your Patronus?" asked Tina curiously. "I didn't see it very well."

"Erm," said Newt, "it's a Salamander."

"I should've expected it, your last name being what it is," said Tina.

Newt sighed in relief that his excuse had been enough, but he didn't notice the suspicious glint in her eye.

Newt climbed over the pile of rubble in the doorway, then started heading up the stairs back to the cupboard. Tina followed him.

"I'm going to fly the first leg of the journey on Horatio," said Newt. "He's my new hippogriff. Want to come in to the case and say hi to everyone?"

"Sure," said Tina happily.

Newt nimbly descended the ladder in front of her and hurried out into the case. He headed straight through the door to the shed and walked into the brightly-lit case. As Tina followed him, she happened to notice the small portrait of Leta Lestrange on the table.

She felt a pang of resentment that Newt still kept a photo of Leta, even though Tina knew that Newt no longer had feelings for her.

Tina turned her gaze away from the small portrait, then headed forward out of the shed before Newt noticed that she had stopped. She looked around the case in wonder, spotting a number of creatures she recognized and an equal amount that she had never seen before.

The Niffler was sorting through the gold coins in her burrow as a handful of baby Nifflers scampered around, trying to stuff gold coins into their tiny pouches.

"My Niffler had babies," said Newt with pride. He reached into the burrow, picked up a calico one, and gave it to Tina to hold.

Its multicolored fur was surprisingly soft, like a kitten. The Niffler cuddled into her palm, searching it for anything shiny.

"Quite a hassle they've been, too," continued Newt. "Some of them got loose at Gringotts—that's the London wizards' bank—and it was very nearly a catastrophe. The goblins that work there were furious at me!"

Tina looked down at the innocent-looking Niffler and decided that she didn't trust it any more than the fully grown one. Just as she thought it, the little Niffler spotted her necklace and scampered up her arm. Before she could recoil, it had stuffed the pendant into its pouch and was hanging on the chain like a fluffy, overgrown bead.

Tina grabbed the Niffler and tried to pull the locket out of its pouch, but it was stuck there as if cemented.

"Here, let me help," said Newt, taking the Niffler gently and tickling its underbelly.

The Niffler squeaked a few times in what sounded like laughter, then the pendant fell out of its pouch.

The locket sprang open in the process, and Newt caught sight of it before she could close it.

"I hate to pry," said Newt, putting the Niffler back in the burrow, "but are those—"

"My parents," finished Tina quietly. "They died of dragon pox when Queenie and I were very young."

"I remember," said Newt, his eyes becoming slightly clouded with sadness. "I saw them in the death potion. You must have loved them very much."

Tina nodded, then closed the latch and tucked the necklace away. Just as Newt had the portrait of Leta, Tina kept the picture of her parents. They were once loved, but now torn out of reach.

Tina gave a small smile upon her understanding.

"Do you want to see my Zouwu?" asked Newt.

"Sure," said Tina, glad that Newt had changed the subject.

Newt led the way to the former Erumpent enclosure, which now held the Zouwu.

"Where is your Erumpent?" asked Tina. "I thought she used to be in this enclosure."

Newt gave an amused chuckle as he remembered the Erumpent mating dance he had performed in the zoo in Central Park.

"I had to give her back to the Sudanese wizards I borrowed her from for the breeding program. That's the first thing I did when I got back from New York."

"Oh," said Tina. "Good for her! It's good for you, too… no more mating dances!"

Newt smiled embarrassedly. "Jacob told you?"

"Queenie did, actually," responded Tina. "She read Jacob's thoughts, then conveyed them to me."

Newt laughed before opening the gate to the Zouwu's enclosure. "Must be hard to keep a secret from a Legilimens."

The Zouwu ran over to them with surprising speed, its red tail flaring out behind it like an enormous banner. Tina was tempted to take a few steps back in fright, but Newt remained still without a sign of fright on his features.

The Zouwu slowed only when it was just a few feet in front of them. It lowered its furry brown head and sniffed Newt deliberately. When it moved closer to Tina, she shivered in fright but stood her ground. It stood so close that Tina could count the ridges lined in its tusks.

When she had ridden the Zouwu earlier, it was less than her idea than the Zouwu's idea. When Tina climbed into the case, she had intended to release Margaret the Nundu. However, the Zouwu sensed the commotion and Dark magic outside the case, and burst out. Tina just happened to be halfway down the ladder and managed to swing onto the Zouwu's back before it burst into the room.

"Easy, Muffie," said Newt cautiously.

The Zouwu gave a little cough-like sound, and twirled its scarlet tail behind it.

"Muffie?" said Tina curiously.

"Don't make me explain this one," responded Newt with a chuckle.

Newt refilled the trough of water with a quick "aguamenti" and headed back through the gate, Tina in tow.

Tina was delighted to see the Bowtruckles, Graphorns, Nundu, and Mooncalves, all of which she recognized from her brief time in the case a year prior.

Newt led her to the bamboo forest biome of the case, where the Occamys were curled up and the Demiguise sat in his swinging nest.

"Hello, Dougal," said Tina cheerfully as Newt busied himself feeding the Occamys. "Your hair is getting quite long."

"Funny you should mention that," said Newt, looking up from the Occamys to watch Newt and Dougal. "I've been meaning to spin his coat into an Invisibility Cloak."

Tina looked back at Dougal. She was startled to see that he had become invisible.

"Where did you go, Dougal?" she asked, scanning the surroundings.

Tina looked past the nest and saw that a massive hippogriff was approaching from the bamboo forest.

"Newt," warned Tina.

"Oh, Horatio, there you are!" cried Newt, rising from the Occamys.

He took a deep bow, then when the hippogriff mirrored his movements, he moved forward and stroked the hippogriff's neck.

Tina took a few steps forward, then felt the hippogriff's proud orange eyes on her and froze. For some reason, the hippogriff seemed far more intimidating than both Frank and the Zouwu.

"Newt, what do I do?" said Tina, barely daring to move.

"Bow—keep eye contact—and see if he bows back," replied Newt.

Slowly, Tina bent forward, unnerved by the hippogriff's brilliant orange eyes.

The hippogriff started forward a few paces to get a better look at her. He snapped his beak menacingly, and Tina eyed the razor-sharp talons nervously.

Then, the hippogriff bent his scaly front legs and lowered his head in a bow.

"Oh, excellent," said Newt cheerily. "You can come up and pet Horatio now."

Up close, the startling orange eyes were a little less frightening. Tina hesitantly touched the brown feathers on the hippogriff's neck and laughed in surprise when she felt how soft they were.

Horatio trotted around them happily, occasionally preening his flight feathers. He seemed to sense the upcoming flight, as he was flapping his enormous wings excitedly.

Newt seemed to notice Horatio's excitement, too. He was slowly sidling closer to the shed.

"I wish you could stay for longer," said Tina, a trifle dejectedly. "It seems as if we're constantly saying our goodbyes."

Newt bowed his head, looking off to the side.

"They come all too frequently, it's true," he said.

Tina could tell he was thinking of the time he had left New York.

"Oh, by Morrigan's toenails, how could I have forgot!" Newt reached into his pocket and extracted a thin, scarlet book. "Your copy," said Newt, proffering the book, "the first off the press. It's a bit redundant now that I know you already have one, but I thought—"

"Thank you, Newt," said Tina gratefully, looking at the front page and reading the title.

"I should be off," said Newt wearily.

"Of course," responded Tina.

Newt and Tina brought Horatio out of the case and into the dimly lit hallway. He shrank his case with a prod of his wand and secured it in his pocket.

He turned to Tina, his eyes misted.

"I'm going to miss you, Tina," he said.

"I'll miss you, too, Newt," replied Tina.

She watched as the familiar figure dressed in his grey coat mounted the hippogriff, and tapped its sides with his heels.

Horatio cantered down the rickety hallway, broke down the door with his talons, and leapt off the front stoop. With five tremendous wingbeats, the hippogriff took off into the night.

Tina ran to the doorway, watching as the hippogriff flew high above the rooftops into the starlit night. It may have just been a flicker of her imagination, but she thought she might have seen Newt's pale hand waving down at her against the night.

 **That's the end. I hope you've enjoyed this story, and I'm so sorry my posting schedule got all messed up. There were supposed to be around six days left until the release of CoG, but… well… that didn't end up happening. Most of what is in this final chapter was there before I saw the movie, including Fawkes, the Zouwu, and oddly, a mention of a Salamander.**

 **Well, here's to another two years of drudgery, I guess! Merlin, that wait will be fun (intense sarcasm).**

 **Have fun watching the movie! I hope it's as good was we all hope it will be.**

 **Feedback in any form is greatly appreciated!**

 **I had my friend write an omake to go with this story. (Grammar mistakes were purposely left in.)**

 **Omake prompt: The hippogriff is actually rabid**

Tina approached Horatio cautiously going to bow down like Newt had told her. Suddenly Horatio started foaming at the mouth and starting making bubbles.

"ummm... newt," Tina said "I'm pretty sure your Hippogriff is rabid."

"Nonsense," Newt replies "Horatio is one of the finest Hippogriffs ever, he so fine he once imploded someone out of sheer awesomeness"

Tina stared at Newt dumbfounded. _Well_ , she thought, _Newt has definitely gone insane._ Belatedly she realized Newt had not stopped talking and she had accidently tuned him out.

"-the best of breed in Hank's Hairy Hippogriffs contest for Hippogriffs with H names and possible questionable illness," Newt rambled on. "In fact," he said angrily, "I am highly offended you would ever suggest he was rabid."

"We too are also highly offended," said Jacob and Queenie popping out of a red flying convertible.

"Goodbye, Tina," He said stiffly. Newt then swung onto the back of the Hippogriff and rode of into the metaphorical sunset with the cheerful convertible tooting along behind him in the skies. (It would have been a real sunset but unfortunately it was the wrong time of day.)

Later it was realized that Newt, Tina, and Horatio were actually in his suitcase earlier in the scene and all of them at some point in the scene had exited it without any of them noticing. This fact left Tina very puzzled and 100% that Newt's insanity was contagious and that she was now partly crazy.


End file.
